Software developer plots his course

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On water or land, Martin Hill has a driving ambition for success. Photo: Sahlan Hayes

Martin Hill falls back on his passion of yacht racing when it
comes to divining a philosophy for commercial success. "You can
learn more from the races you lose than the ones you win," says Mr
Hill, principal of property consultancy firm Hill PDA, where he
designed and developed the property feasibility software package
Estate Master.

But even though you learn more from mistakes than successes, the
biggest mistake is not trying at all, he says. Whether you want to
race a yacht across an ocean or expand a business overseas, "you
will never know if you don't have a go. The lack of action is the
biggest killer".

Mr Hill races his 38-foot ocean yacht Estate Master whenever he
can. In developing a championship team for competitive yacht
racing, he says compatibility is as important a consideration as
competency.

"But if you do pick compatibility over competence, you have to
support the crew when things aren't going so right. The big
challenge is in finding and building any team. It takes a long time
to get the right people for our business. They need to appreciate
the complexities of our product and be capable of building rapport
with our clients."

Mr Hill developed the Estate Master software package in 1990 as
a property development feasibility tool for his consultancy
business. The software now targets the entire property industry,
providing detailed cash flow reports and risk assessment tools for
all types of property development projects.

The software arm of Hill PDA grew to the extent that it now
operates as a separate company named after the package itself. Not
realising the growth potential of Estate Master earlier is a
mistake Mr Hill still regrets. He says: "The global potential of
the software meant Hill PDA should have separated out the software
section earlier so we could better focus on its growth. Running a
software company requires a different skill set to that of a
property consultancy firm."

Developing customised software packages in the '90s taught Mr
Hill that creating a one-off generic package is a better way to go
than customising similar solutions multiple times. Building a
totally customised package can be "problematic because clients
aren't always sure what they want until the product is nearly
completed, and modifications can be costly and time-consuming".

Mr Hill says generic packages cover 90 per cent of most client
requirements and need very little customisation. "This saves
development time and is more cost-effective for both the client and
us.

"An industry generic package brings standardisation to an
organisation and, most importantly, within an industry. It also
provides a cost-effective base to incorporate customisations if
needed.

"Estate Master has also responded to the increasing complexities
of financial analysis in the development and investment industry by
taking into account multiple-staged joint ventures,
profit-splitting and variable financing sources."

But no matter how much you concentrate on developing great
software, Mr Hill says, businesses need to remember to nurture
contact with their clients.

"It is very easy for us to be so busy with the next new software
release that we forget to listen to clients' feedback. We do have a
help desk but we also seek their feedback with informal phone
chats. We also organise social events like golf, sailing days, and
support industry conferences. Happy clients are our best
referral."

Applying his skippering skills to business, he advises aspiring
business leaders to "have a plan, build a team, assess your
opposition's strengths and weaknesses, analyse your wins and
losses, and share the spoils with your team".